WRAPTURES 2015

PAUL HOBANWRAPTURES

2015

EXHIBITION TEXTS

WRAPTURES | Artist Notes, 2015

Certain forms seem to be universal – persistent across time and cultures. These ‘form constants’ – lines, dots, grids, concentric forms, spirals, circles, tectiforms and linear parallels – seem to be entoptic, that is to say, they appear to be a product of human neurological faculties. Repetition and symmetry also appear to interest our visual perception machinery.

Curiously, the asymmetrical meander is also a form constant - recurring conspicuously in humanity’s earliest visual art. Lattice structures, often procured from meander forms via aleatoric processes, have inhabited my work over the years. Verging on chaos, but harbouring hidden symmetries, their web-like veils can be seen in all these works, including the collaborations with Tutti artist Scott Pyle, such as Lifesaver and Pink Herring.

By 2010, Tutti Visual Artists were emerging in a big way in Adelaide. As Tutti fans, Kirsty and I saw Scott’s work at numerous shows. Scott’s favourite imagery was inspired by Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (PR) heroes and villains. His familiarity with the PR characters had evolved into an ability to draw them with gouache pen in seconds – like a graffiti tag. Seeing his dazzling, multi-figure compositions for the first time was a revelation. Scott had achieved intuitively what I had sought by formal and conceptual contrivance. Collaboration is an important part of my visual art practice, so when an opportunity with Scott arose, I jumped at it. The result was the ‘Orange Wrappers’ exhibition at FELTspace Gallery in 2013. OW derives from the anagram of “Power Rangers” and is a going concern.

Scott has a wonderful feel for colour and composition. His colour sensibility became the palette for the collaboration. I tried to engage with the background shapes so as to ensure the integrity of Scott’s own imagery. Later, layering became important. Again lattice shapes emerged. All the linear structures which are attributable to me in the collaborative works have been derived from the background negative spaces and colours of Scott’s paintings.